This Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe can be made in about 20 minutes!
Rich, creamy, and oh-so-cheesy, this broccoli soup is a quick meal that is perfect for lunch or an easy weeknight dinner.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
A Cozy 20 Minute Meal
Made without Velveeta, this soup is rich, creamy, and full of real cheddar flavor.
- Move over Panera; this broccoli soup is as easy as it is delicious.
- It needs few ingredients, this homemade soup is extra flavorful.
- And it is so versatile – add in extra veggies left in the fridge, from zucchini to cauliflower.
- This broccoli cheddar soup is ready in about 20 minutes, perfect for those busy weekday nights.
How to Make Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Soften onions/carrots (as per the recipe below). Add broccoli and simmer.
- Remove some of the veggies and blend the soup.
- Stir in cream mixed with flour, and simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir in cheese and reserved vegetables and serve.
Ingredient for Broccoli Soup
- Onion & Carrot – Onion and carrot add flavor to this soup.
- Broccoli – Fresh or frozen broccoli florets can be used, no need to thaw frozen broccoli first.
- Broth – A combination of half and half and broth are the perfect blend without being too heavy. I prefer the flavor of chicken broth however, you can replace it with vegetable stock if desired. Half and half can be replaced with heavy cream or evaporated milk if desired.
- Seasoning – I add a little bit of thyme, garlic powder, salt & pepper.
- Cheese – Sharp cheddar adds the best flavor to this recipe. Feel free to add in other shredded cheeses like gruyere.
Tips
- When adding broccoli, use the broccoli stems as well.
- If you have fresh garlic cloves, use 1 clove to replace the garlic powder.
- Use a regular blender (be sure not to have the lid on tightly or it can explode from the steam) but an immersion blender works well too.
- Just like when making cheese sauce, remove the add the cheese once the soup is removed from the heat. If cheese (or dairy) boils it can separate leaving a less than desirable texture. The soup should be plenty hot enough to melt the cheese to a perfect velvety consistency.
Leftovers?
Diary doesn’t tend to freeze well and it can sometimes become grainy or the texture can change slightly. This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat it can be microwaved stirring occasionally or heated on the stove over medium-low.
More Cozy Soups
Did you love this Broccoli Cheese Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups half and half or light cream
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or pot, cook butter, onion, and carrots over medium heat until onion softens (about 3 minutes). Add the broccoli, chicken broth, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer until broccoli is tender, about 8 minutes.
- Remove 1 cup of vegetables, coarsely chop and set aside. Using an immersion blender, blend remaining vegetables and broth.
- Place flour in a small bowl. Add in cream a little at a time stirring until smooth. Bring blended vegetable mixture to a boil and whisk in cream mixture. Continue whisking until thick and bubbly, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in cheeses & reserved chopped vegetables and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Lunch, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
So GOOD.
I was making another recipe I found on pinterest that was not quite as flavorful however I did sub the garlic powder for 3 small to medium cloves of garlic and it is literally heaven on earth.
I love how easy this is to make. I haven’t made it yet but it sounds great!
Super easy and super delish!
I want to make this for my mom, but im not really a cook so i have a really basic question Are chicken stock and chicken broth the same thing? I know i can buy the stock, will it still taste as good and do i use the same amount? THANKS ☺️
Chicken stock tends to have a richer flavor but you can use them interchangeably in almost all of our recipes, Sausann!
I like the ingredients and the soup has a nice taste with one small exception, I can taste the flour. Next time, i will definitely make a roux and then add the cream. Then, i will add it to the broth and veggie mixture. The flour taste just didn’t cook off enough. Other than that, it was very tasty. Thanks for sharing a good recipe.
I used a little corn starch mixed with water. It was wonderful
I’m so happy. Best broccoli soup I’ve ever made
The soup was great yet the next day, I added bacon and it was even better.
Looks delicious and tempting for a lite soup at lunch time
SO DELICIOUS AND EASY!! I had way more broccoli than needed, less onions and carrots called for, so I added some cremini mushrooms to the mix. I used a little more chicken broth and half and half — everything else the same. This recipe is fun to make with whatever you have as long as you have broccoli. I also cooked some brown rice to stir in my soup. It was very well received, so good and comforting. Thank you for recipe. I wasn’t going to sign up for the emails but I changed my mind! :)
Holly
Bless you for sharing this recipe. I love,love,love it‼️
I broke my wrist and I craved it so much and wanted real food
I made it. I used frozen broccoli and it took me hours to get it
together and probably cooked it longer cause I just used a
potato masher It was so comforting. I will never stop
making it.
Thank you again
Susan
So happy you were able to enjoy it, Susan. I hope your wrist is healing well!
I have to say, I love this recipe! I have made it eight or ten times and every time I make it everyone loves it and it’s always perfect.
If you have a crowd, definitely double or triple the recipe as there isn’t that much left over. You’ll want some leftover, because it’s so good! Glad I found this recipe. Thanks!
Made it just now and it was absolutely fabulous. Thanks for a wonderful recipe. Will surely make it again and again and again
I love this recipe with one exception, I think the thyme overpowered the broccoli & cheese. I know this is just a matter of taste, but for others who want just the broccoli-cheddar flavors they might want to omit the thyme.
I was wondering how that much thyme would affect the recipe. My spouse is “thyme” sensitive so maybe I will just cut it back to a sprinkle. It’s a powerful ingredient and recipes seem to always want to much of it. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
If your spouse doesn’t care for it, you can leave it out. This soup will still be delicious!
I am not a fan of thyme either. Thanks for the tip!
Your Recipes were sent to me by my Grand daughter. She loves them and now so do I.
so happy to hear that Deborah :) Have fun cooking!
This sounds delicious! I’m thinking of making it for a “meal train” for a friend and might need to make it the night before I drop it off at their house. Does the soup keep well for a few days, if so how would you recommend reheating? Thank you for sharing :)
Yes, this will keep for a few days. To reheat it can be microwaved stirring occasionally or heated on the stove over medium-low. Enjoy Val!
This was an E Z PZ recipe that came out great. Great taste&great texture. I added pepper&herbs de provence&a little savory. I just found you have to cook the carrots before you add the onions.
The cheese just added that much more flavor
Those sound like delicious additions Arlene, thanks for sharing!
This soup was great! I made it without carrots (I forgot to buy them), and it was still great!! Thank you!
Glad you loved it Kristine!
Just wanted to thank you again for your help with my earlier question and to tell you your cheddar broccoli soup is PHENOMENAL! I tripled the recipe, (there were 6 other comforting soups to choose from, a real variety) and it was the first soup to go at our church fundraiser. Also want to tell you I have made quite a few of your recipes over the years, literally “from soup to nuts”, and have NEVER had one that wasn’t requested many times over.
So so happy to hear that Carol! Thank you so much!
Please forgive this late posting.
I need to double this recipe for a church fundraiser tomorrow afternoon, can I make this tonight and reheat in a crockpot tomorrow or would you recommend making tomorrow morning and just keeping warm (lo in crockpot) for fundraiser?
Thanking you in advance for your help.
.
I think either would work. You’ll want to be sure it’s on low or even warm as high temperatures can cause dairy to separate in the slow cooker. Enjoy!
I made this for dinner last night and it was wonderful…Thank you so much!
So happy to hear you loved it Bonnie!
Hi, I was at the store trying to find light cream, what would that be? I just saw heavy whipping cream and half and half. I really want to make this tonight and I’m thinking of just using whole milk instead. I would love to know what kind of light cream you use so I can get the right stuff, I would so appreciate a reply, thank you so much for your recipie!
You can use half and half, any cream that is 10-12% M.F. would be great.
Light cream is the same as heavy cream, its just in a light version, although most receipts for this soup does call for using heavy cream but using either one will work.